I'm not sure that Kimmie injuries are all caused by repetitive jump training. Don't have any links to post, but I think she had a training accident last year which caused a severe knee injury. What I remember is that she was setting up for a jump and a younger less experienced skater cut her off and Kimmie fell hard on her knee trying to abort the jump. Until that happened, I thought she would be going to Regionals or a GP assignment. A video had been posted of her working with a dance coach to better use her arms and connect more with the audience and she was looking good.

I would like to see Kimmie on competitive ice again if she were, indeed, competitive but it would be heartbreaking for me to see her if she were far below her old form technically. However, speaking of the technique, is Kimmie one who, based on her previous form, might be very prone to getting the UR and/or edge calls? I'm starting to get hazy on it and I don't have the computer power to easily look up old protocols, but wasn't she a flutzer or lipper? Or am I misremembering?

What I remember is that she was setting up for a jump and a younger less experienced skater cut her off and Kimmie fell hard on her knee trying to abort the jump.

Yes, that's what she said. Apparently that was the injury that killed her Oly run. And while fanboys (and girls) were bickering that she should have gotten a free pass to Nationals, she was tweeting around that time that some jumps were still painful. She couldn't have gone anyway

Here's the thing. If I took a look at the build of someone like Joannie Rochette, figure skater sure wouldn't be my first guess. Or my second, for that matter. Or my third...or fourth...

Fair point, although Joannie is very petite and small boned, a very compact build. Kimmie is taller with a bigger frame. I mean people of all builds can figure skate, it's just that some are probably much more prone to injuries than others. It might not be a coincidence that thin asian skaters are dominating ladies figure skating in recent years.

Back to Meissner. She is out of shape and not thin due to a bad knee injury and her hip injury. And yes, her body changed. But... she , if skating and training several hours a day would be thinner. She obviously can't do it. Maybe those looking for other things to say have no idea what a knee injury like she had do to your triple jumps. And her hip. There is a reason why Tara retired from SOI at 19. This is a dangerous and brutal sport for the top competitors of either sex who try to keep top technical content. And it only takes one chronic, nagging injury from one accident to take you out. We lose promising people every year.

Shizuka Arakawa was hailed as a true ladies champion. Look at the body she had when she was doing 3x3x3's. Strong, muscular, curvy. Look at her now. She is a stick. Why? Who is telling her she needs to be so thin? I look at her and see eating disorder. It is rampant.

I find it laughable tho when Joannie is not "looking" like a figureskater. A lot of different body types, male and female do well, though the trend is thinner and shorter for the most part. It's sad to hear that Kim is hungry all the time or that Plush wants to be a thinner skater.

Remember TV adds 10 lbs. This isn't ballet and even in ballet there are great dancers who would never be hired by Ballanchine when alive. Nevertheless, they succeed.